Seal-lock



No. 607,822. Patented July 26, |898. w. F. BEASLEY.

S E A L L 0 C K.

(Application led. Agr. 6, 1,896. Renwed Dec. 2.97, 1897.) (N o M o d e I WlTN ESSES Wr.-

cef x UNTTED STATES PATENT @risica lVILLIAll/IF. BEASLEY, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

SEAL-Lock.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 607,822, dated July 26, 1898. Application iledApril 6, 1896. Renewed December 22, 1897. Serial No. 663,097. (No model.)

` to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide a construction in locks whereby the difficulty in an unlawful or unauthorized opening thereof will not reside so much in' the complexity of the tumbler or guard mechanism as in the protection afforded by a seal; and for this purpose my invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the several parts of which it is composed, as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which corresponding parts are designated by corresponding marks of reference, Figure 1 is a` plan view of a lock constructed in accordance with my present invention, it being shown as closed. Fig. 2 is a perspective View thereof with the seal-holder open. Fig. 3 is a fragmental plan view with the cover-plate removed. Figs. 4.-, 5, and 6 are sections on lines a: y y, and z e, respectively, of Fig. 3, with the cover-plate down, a staple being shown in Fig. 4.

The lock consists of two members-.the post l and the locking mechanism to enga-ge therewith-the opposite members being secured to the two parts which it is desired to secure together. As shown, this mechanism is mounted upon a base-plate 2 and in a box 3, provided with a cover-plate 4. The baseplate projects beyond one side of this box,

` and to it is hinged the flanged seal-holder 6,

the said extension of the base-plate having a slot 5 therein, through which the head of the post l passes, the saidpost having a channel 1,into which the main locking-bolt is adapted to project in order to engage the head` lb formed thereby, which is rounded to permit it to shove the locking-bolt back in the box during locking and unlocking. This lockingbolt 7 is shown as having a locking-head 7i,

which projects through one side of the box and to above the slot 5 to engage the post, and as having opposite bifurcated ends 7b, extending through the opposite side of the box, the outer ends thereof bearing against the block oa on the inside of the head-flange of the seal-holder 6 when the latter is closed down, thus preventing the retraction of the locking-bolt while the seal-holder is in the described position.

In order to lock the seal-holder in the position just stated, a bolt S is used, the said bolt projecting through the side of the box and entering into engagement with a shoulder 6b on the block 6, and in order to provide means for shooting the bolts '7 and 8 I use coil-springs 9, compressed between the inner end of the auxiliary bolt S andthe main locking-bolt 7, the bolt S being contained between the bifurcated ends 7 b of the main locking-bolt, and the said springs areby preference coiled around the guide-posts l0, which project from the main locking-bolt into' recesses inthe auxiliary locking-bolt.

As before stated, in myinvention the Safety of the articles protected by my lock depends upon the integrity of a seal, and, as will be into these notches a blunt instrument (which I call a Ykey) may be placed for the purpose of retracting the auxiliary bolt by a sliding movement thereof, it being obvious that if a sharp instrument be used (which might make a cut in the seal difficult to detect) it will slip between the two pieces of the bolt without retracting them. The cover-plate 4 has an elongated slot 4;n therein located above the notches in the auxiliary locking-bolt and of sufficient length to permit the necessary sliding movement of the key inserted therethrough to unlock the bolt 5 but as an additional safeguard and Ato render a still more extensive tearing of the seal necessary Imay IOO pi vot to the cover-plate above one of the slots an apron 1l, provided with a notch 11u in its free end, by which it may be raised to permit the insertion of the key. It will be seen that when it is so raised it will cause an extensive tearing of the seal located above it.

The seal holder consists of a flat plate hinged to the extension of the base-plate, its top being cut away to any desired extent over the key-slot 4C to permit the insertion of the key and the view of printing or writing upon the upper face of the seal A, which is held against displacement by the spines 4G, projecting rearwardly from the seal-holder and into recesses lb in the cover-plate.

To prevent the jarring of the auxiliary locking-bolt from its locked position, I form on the under surface of the outer end of each of its parts a groove 8, which are engaged by the rib 6d on the shoulder 6b of the block 6a when the seal-holder is pulled up without the bolt 8 having been first retracted, and to prevent the removal of the seal-holder by forcing out the pintle-pin 6c shoulders Gf, having inclined faces Gare secured to the side flanges of the seal-holder near its pivoted side and close to the edge of the box 3 when the seal-Y holder is closed down, each of which shoulders is then engaged by the projecting end of a lever 12, pivoted upon a pin 1.2n in the box on each side of the key-slot in the cover-plate thereof, the opposite ends 12b of the levers projecting, if desired, through the opposite side of the box and engaging shoulders 6h, formed on the ends of the block 6, whereby the seal-holder will be firmly held, the inclined faces 6g on the shoulders 6f serving to move the levers to the side when the holder is pressed down upon the box, the levers being then thrown into and held in engagement with the shoulders (if and 6 (if the latter be used) by the springs 12C. Each of these levers (which are preferably stamped out of sheet metal) has an extension 12d formed thereon or secured thereto, which projects to the middle of the key-slot, where the extensions of the two levers abut, the corners thereof being beveled beneath the slot, as at 12e, and abve the notches in the auxiliary locking-bolt, so that when the key is inserted and moved within the slot to retract the bolt it will enter the bevels and, forcing the extensions away from each other, move the levers upon their pivot-pins, disengaging them from the shoulders upon the holder, thus unlocking the latter. By preference notches 8C are formed in the outer sides of the pieces of the auxiliary locking-bolt, which notches are engaged by the depending ears 122 struck from the extensions 12d of the levers, except when the extensions have been moved away from each other, thus preventing the retraction of the bolt except at that time.

A stud 13 may project from the inner face of the seal-holder and be adapted to pass through an aperture 13:L in the cover-plate and into a recess 18b in the main lockingbolt, thus preventing the retraction of the latter when the seal-holder is depressed, and it will be seen that when this construction is used the rearward extensions 7b upon the main locking-bolt may be dispensed with, and While for complete security I prefer to use both the auxiliary locking-bolt 8 and the levers 12 either may be omitted.

If desired, any preferred tumbler or guardv mechanism, as is shown in Fig. 3, may be applied to prevent the retraction of the main locking-bolt without the use of the proper key by causing the locking-bolt 14 of such mechanism to engage therewith, the keyhole 11FL for such mechanism being protected by the imperforate portion of the seal-holder, and that, also, if desired, an extension 15 may be placed upon an edge of the sealholder, which may go over a staple and be locked thereon by an ordinary padlock, which will secure the holder in its closed position. This is useful when it is not desired to rely upon a seal to lock the article having my invention applied thereto, and in this case the seal can be replaced by a simple label, or in case a seal be used the extension will retain any article upon the staple, as shown in Fig. 1, in which B indicates a hasp, as of a door. It will be thus seen that in the use of my invention the post is inserted through the slot 5, forcing back the main locking-bolt, which when the post is in place is forced outwardly by the tension of the springs and into the channel therein. The seal is then put in place on the seal-holder and the latter pressed down upon the box, it being caught by the auxiliary locking-bolt and levers, and at the same time the block 6 upon the flange of the holder will move in front ofV the ends of the rearward extension 7b of the main lockingbolt and prevent the retraction thereof until the holder has been raised. This, however, cannot be done until the auxiliary lockingbolt and levers have been disengaged therefrom, to accomplish which it is necessary to mutilate the seal. I thus constructa lock which can be rapidly fastened and which is simple in its working` parts and which may be quickly opened, but which at the same time relies for its safety upon the difiiculty of duplicating the seal, and I therefore prefer to use such a seal as is described in another application filed by me in the United States Patent Ofce on the 18th day of January, 1896, Serial No. 575,974.

From the construction described above it will be noted that when the flanged sealholder is down it entirely covers not only the box containing the locking mechanism, but also the postandtheprojectingend of the main locking-bolt, so as to preclude any tampering therewith, and that under some circumstances the post and main locking-bolt, as well as the hinge connection between the sealholder and base-plate7 may be dispensedwith and the base-plate 2 and the box 3 be secured directly to one of the two parts to be locked IOO together and the seal-holder to the other, so that when the seal-holder is caught upon the box the two parts will be locked together.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a lock, the combination, with a sealholder, of a locking-bolt therefor, composed of a plurality of independent sections, each of which is provided with a recess for the engagement of a key, the said recesses being covered by the seal when inserted in the said holder, substantially as described.

2. In a lock, the combination, with a sealholder, of locking'- mechanism therefor, consisting of levers engaging the said holder, and having extensions projecting toward each other beneath the seal contained in the holder and a cover-plate over the said extensions having a key-slot therein to permit the sliding lateral movement of a key between the Y extensions to move the levers, substantially as described.

3. In a lock, the combination, with a sealholder, of locking mechanism therefor, consisting of levers engaging the holder, and extensions upon the said levers, having beveled corners, and abutting against each other, beneath the seal contained in the holder and a cover-plate over the said extensions having a key-slot therein to permit the sliding lateral movement of a key between' the extensions to move the levers, substantially as described.

et. In a lock, the combination, with a sealholder, of a locking-bolt therefor, and supplementary locking mechanism for the sealholder, consisting of pivoted levers, having extensions projecting toward each other and abutting over the locking-bolt and beneath the seal contained in the holder substantially as described.

5. In a lock, the combination, with a sealholder, of a slit locking-bolt therefor, each of the parts of the said bolt having registering notches in their adjoining sides, and also having notches in their opposite sides, and a supplemental locking mechanism, consisting of pivoted levers adapted to engage the sealholder, each of the levers having an extension projecting to above the split in the locking-bolt, and ears upon the extensions engaging the last-named notches in the lockingbolt, substantially as described.

G. In a lock, the combination, with a main locking-bolt, of an auxiliary locking-bolt, of a hinged apron covering the keyway of the said last-named bolt, and a seal-holder adapted to be locked by the auxiliary locking-bolt and to prevent the retraction of the main lookin gbolt, and to hold a seal over the said apron, substantially as described.

7. In a lock, the combination, with a sealholder, of a locking-bolt therefor, composed of a plurality of independent sections, each of which is provided with a recess for the reception of a key, the said recess being covered by the seal when inserted in the holder,

and a main locking-bolt, engaged by the sealholder, substantially as described.

` 8. In a lock, the combination, with a main locking-bolt, of levers, having extensions projecting toward each other, and a seal-holder adapted to be locked by the levers to hold a seal above the said extensions, the seal-holder when in position-to be locked by the levers engaging the main locking-bolt to prevent the retraction thereof until the seal-holder be raised, substantially as described.

9. In a lock, the combination, with a main locking-bolt, of an auxiliary locking-bolt, a seal-holder adapted to be locked by the auxiliary locking-bolt, `to prevent the retraction of the main locking-bolt and to hold a seal, and pivoted levers adapted to engage the seal-holder, and having extensions projecting toward each other and abutting over the auxiliary locking-bolt and beneath the seal, substantially as described. v

10. In a lock, the combination, with a main locking-bolt,of an auxiliary locking-bolt,consisting of two parts provided With registering notches in their adjoining sides, and notches in their opposite sides, a seal-holder adapted to be locked by the auxiliary locking-bolt, to prevent the retraction of the main locking-bolt and to hold a seal, and pivoted levers adapted to engage the seal-holder, each of the levers having an extension thereon projecting to above the split in the auxiliary locking-bolt and below the seal, and having ears engaging the last-named notches in the auxiliary locking-bolt, substantially as described.

11. In a lock, the combination, with a box, of a main locking-bolt contained therein, a seal-holder adapted to hold a seal and to lock the said bolt against retraction, and means for locking the said holder, the said box having a key-slot therein covered by the seal through which a key may be inserted and laterally moved for unlocking the seal-holder, substantially as described.

12. In a lock, the combination with a box I having a key-slot therein, of a main lockingbolt contained in the box, an auxiliary sliding locking-bolt contained in the box and adapted to be retracted by the lateral movement of a key inserted through the said keyslot, and a seal-holder engaged by the auxiliary locking-bolt, to lock the main lockingbolt against retraction and to hold aseal over Vthe said key-slot, substantially as described.

hinged thereto, the plate having an aperture IZO ` 1 therein' for thepassageof't-he post; between the pivotal point of the seal-holder'and the Vside of the box, Va main looking-bolt and an Vauxiliary mechanism Vcontained Within i the box, the auxiliary mechanism being adapted Vto 100k Vthe;seal-hoider upon the box, substantially as described. Y Y Y Y Y l5. In a lock, the combination with a box,V

of a looking-bolt therein, having a groove inV its end, of a seal-holder adaptedV to beengaged by the bolt and having a ridge engaging VJche groove therein, substantiailyas de* scribed.

16. In a look, the combination, with a boi;

of a split; looking-bolt Vtherein,composed ofV two spring-pressed pieces, each having a groove in its end, and a seal-holder adapted to'be engaged by lhe bolt and having a ridge entering the grooves therein, substantially as deseribed.

1.7. In a loclgthe combination with a box, of a'seal-holder fitting thereon and adapted to receive a seal, pivoted levers engaging the Y seal-holder uponV opposite sides of the box and having abutting extensions, Within the box, the box having a keyslot therein below the seal-holder and above the dividing-line of che extensions,V substantially'as described.V

In Vtestimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

' WILLIAM F. BEASLEY.

Y' Witnesses:

JAS. W. WALKER, PETER H. Hoon. 

